The ASSASSINS series has taken over the whole summer! I hope you’ve loved the series as much as I have. We’re up to book 4, but don’t despair—there will definitely be more! Eli’s story will be coming this December, with more books in the planning stage beyond that, I promise. ASSASSINS will continue for a long time to come!

So what’s next, then? SOUTHERN NIGHTS: ENIGMA, of course! We get a glimpse of King Moncrief and his heroine in ASSASSIN’S HEART, and I plan to release their story, DENY ME, in October. That’s right, I plan to cross over Enigma and Assassins in coming books! So, Deny Me in October, and Eli’s book (title to be determined) in December.

I’ve waited a long time for today. Release day is overwhelming, but with a book—and a series—like this, it is…indescribable. Really, there are no words.

ASSASSIN’S MARK was written at a time when I was struggling so much. It changed how I wrote, how I viewed my writing, how I viewed my world, more than I can even describe. I hope you love Levi and his brothers as much as I do, and follow them for many books to come. It’ll be an adventure you won’t forget!

ASSASSIN’S MARK

I knew the minute I saw him that Levi Agozi was too perfect to be real. I didn't care. He came to me, asked for me, and, dazzled by his dark good looks and the bad-boy aura surrounding him, I gave in. Willingly. My father is set to become the next governor of Virginia, and he'll use me to get there if he has to. He'll hand me over, virginity and all, to the man with the biggest bank account and political pull.⁣ I wanted something more.⁣ I wanted Levi. And I had him—until I woke up, disoriented and confused, at his mercy. He’s a bad boy, all right. A sexy, deadly assassin. And I'm the pawn torn between him and my father, two powerful men intent on destroying each other.⁣ I might not understand their war, but I do understand one thing: no matter who wins, I lose.⁣⠀ ⠀ ⠀

The heroine of the book I’m working on now, CAPTURE ME, is a little different than the other heroines in the Southern Nights series. She’s not a kick-ass warrior like Elliot or a sassy fighter like Maddie. She’s a computer nerd.

That’s right. A geek.

A cute geek, but still…Lyse is way out of her depth when it comes to her Irish mercenary. 😉

So what was my inspiration for this quieter heroine? Honestly, my family. My husband is both a scientist and engineer, and my son is into electronics and computer science. They have smarts I can only dream of, and so does Lyse. I wanted to take the typical “male nerd” character and turn it on its head. And make her sexy in her own way.

You’ll have to tell me how I did the final week of November when CAPTURE ME releases. In the meantime, how do you feel about geek characters?

I’ve struggled for years to come up with a consistent routine. Working at home means there’s not a lot of rigid structure, and having two jobs means there’s a lot to juggle. Recently, though, I got some advice that has made a tremendous difference in my day:

First things first.

For me, a positive life means putting the most important things first in my day. When it comes to my work, the highest priority for me is writing, so after the family leaves in the morning, guess what I do?

Sit down and write.

When your schedule is hectic or chaotic, what’s your priority, the first thing you want to focus on in your day?

I’ve been looking for inspiration as I work through the early chapters of Capture Me. Lyse runs from her past and the man she loves to a remote Irish village. In looking for images to spark my imagination, I began with one of my favorite places during my visit to Ireland in 2017: Howth.

(That’s pronounced “hoat,” like ho-ho-ho but with a T at the end. ;) )

What do you think? Would a place like this make a good blueprint for Lyse’s hideaway?

I'm working away on CAPTURE ME this month, the next book in the Southern Nights: Enigma series. And that means...you guessed it! I'm giving away a paperback set of the first two books, along with a special surprise giftie that you'll receive with your books. (I'm not telling, so don't ask. 😛)

Head on over to my Facebook page for a chance to win! I'll choose a winner on Friday, August 31st.

***Likes and shares with your book-loving friends are appreciated but not required.***

As I’ve followed my journey toward a more POSITIVE LIFE this year, I’ve noticed something: when I don’t have anything to do, it stresses me out. I don’t know what to do with the blank spaces in my life, the times when there’s no work to do, no TV to watch, no book to read. And yet, we are learning more and more about the negative impact of so much input into our lives through TV, social media, the doing and having and seeking more and more and more.

Creativity requires blank space. We look at the first page of a new book, all that fresh white space, and freak out. The blank page is so hard! But without a blank page, a new book doesn’t come into being. Our brains need that blank space too, to stretch and grow and create. To rest.

Have you found that quiet and “blank space” are positives in your life? How do you go about creating those opportunities?

JULY—the month for beaches and barbecues and being free. Want some books to take along with your free time?

🍉 🌞 🕶️

This month I’m giving away a paperback collection of the ENTIRE Hacker series by Meredith Wild! Leave a comment below telling me how you’re celebrating your summer vacation, and I’ll give one lucky commenter a brand new series to read at the end of the month. Head on over to my Facebook page to enter!

Thanks to the totally fantastic Maggie Coughlin Worth and her common sense guidance, I’ve learned that a POSITIVE LIFE needs REWARDS.

I work a lot. My day job, though it’s from home, is full-time. Writing is also a full-time job, though the actual words on the page are a tiny fraction of that. So getting to run away from all the work and actually just write is a reward for me. Twice a year I give myself a retreat—and it is oh so wonderful.

Last fall I found a little cabin in the woods (NOT like the movie!), and this month, in celebration of our birthday, I took my sis Dani Wade there for a writing retreat. You can see from the pics that we had a great time! Writing, reading, plotting (and not just books 😉 ), exploring, wading. So much fun!

What about you? Where do you go to get away? What do you love to reward yourself with?

You love them in my IF ONLY series. Know where else you can find them? In a series I’ve loved since it began. Dani Wade’s Backstage Pass. I’ve loved the men of BP, one after the other (especially Sean!). If you haven’t read this series, I highly recommend it. Especially Sean! (LOL, can you tell I have a thing for Sean? Who wouldn’t love an Irish Dom with great rhythm? J)

And did you know Dani’s heroes appear in one of my books? That’s right! The same place my IF ONLY heroes first appeared, in NAUGHTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS. Don’t miss it, a little touch of Christmas to cool your hot summer down (or heat it up more, if you’ve never met Damien!).

ONLY FOR THE MOMENT will be here on JUNE 11th!!! This month I’m giving away ***two*** signed paperback sets of the entire IF ONLY trilogy. Comment on my Facebook page with your favorite rock-star book boyfriend (and show your authors some love by including a link to their book if possible!).

I’ll choose TWO winners on FRIDAY, JUNE 29th. Don’t miss out!

(Likes and shares with your romance-loving friends appreciated but not required!)

Kennedy O’Connell’s life is perfect—a great job, plenty of friends, a brother who loves her. The chaos that ruled her childhood is gone, and she couldn’t be happier. Unfortunately, her mischievous streak tends to get her in trouble, and when she walks into her favorite spa to find a sexy Australian rock star taking her place, she can’t resist a little fun.

Isaac Anschau has spent five years chasing his dream. His rock royalty status can’t be denied, but his demons are catching up with him—he’s burned out, his creativity decimated. Until a redheaded vixen decides she wants to play, and he discovers a way to leave his nightmares behind. There’s just one problem: Kennedy is dead-set against submitting, despite the way she melts when his Dom side comes out.

They’ve got nothing to lose by walking away, and everything to gain if they give in to the raging hunger between them. Baring their bodies would only take a moment. Baring their souls could take a lifetime.

I had a truly unique inspiration for ASSASSIN’S PREY: a question. That’s right, a question.

How does a man who’s held himself apart all his life, even from family, who kills for a living, who has nothing resembling a normal life, actually make a relationship work?

That was the whole story in a nutshell. Most romances end once the couple is together, right? I wanted to go past the “I love yous” and find out how Levi, of all people, would react to falling in love. *Spoiler ALERT* We already saw a little bit of this in MARK—he stayed away for a year, but couldn’t stay away any longer. Now that he’s given in, what next?

I hope you’ll check out ASSASSIN’S PREY next TUESDAY and find out. I can’t wait for this tough, tormented alpha to finally, truly understand what love is all about. You can find the book on Radish Fiction starting May 29th!

A positive life must include SLEEP! That’s what I’m learning. I always knew I didn’t feel good when I went low on sleep, but the past couple of years? I get the walk-into-the-wall, too-fuzzy-to-think, can’t-deal-with-life blues if I don’t rest. I feel so much better, clearer headed and able to, yes, be positive, if I just get adequate sleep!

I’m also learning that the kind of sleep you get makes a difference. Apparently not dreaming is a big deal—you’re not getting REM sleep. I rarely dream anymore, although I used to when I was younger. I’ve always been envious of authors who literally dream their stories up.

What about you? Do you get enough sleep, or are you one of those people who doesn’t seem to need much. (That’s NEVER been me! 😝 )

I don’t read a lot of first-person point-of-view stories. This is a hazard of being a professional editor in “real life”—it’s very hard not to notice flaws in first-person pov. It’s hard to do well, in my opinion. But oh, when it’s right…WOW!

There is one author I believe is pretty much the master at first-person pov, Skye Warren. Her books are lyrical, engrossing, sexy…everything you could want in any story. But it goes deeper, into the heads of her characters, in a way I’ve never read anywhere else.

I also like that she has edgy heroes, men who aren’t necessarily on the good side of the law (and of course I’d love that—look at Levi in ASSASSIN’S MARK!). Her latest book, The Escort, is phenomenal. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but check it out. It’s written from the pov of the hero, first-person, and oh my God, I could not get enough of Hugo! I think you’ll love it too. 😃

*And YES, for those of you that are worried, Hugo is indeed a male escort. NO, there is no cheating, and he is not with another woman, on or off the page, after he meets the heroine for the first time. Rest easy! (Now go read it! 😝 )

It’s release month! In four weeks (minus a day—that’s MAY 29th!), the next book in the ASSASSINS series will release: ASSASSIN’S PREY. This first-person story gets us into the head of Levi Agosti, assassin, and gives us a glimpse of how a man like him deals with love now that he’s met his match.

ASSASSIN’S PREY

I killed my first man at the age of twelve. I've been killing ever since. I thought it was all I lived for…until Abby. Until the woman I'd kidnapped became the woman I couldn't walk away from.

She owns a piece of me I wouldn't take back, but the rest? The only way to protect her is to hold back the parts inside me that are too ugly to ever reveal. I'll keep her safe, even from me.

And it works. We have the nights, and I hunt my way through the days. Alone.

Until an attack reveals a threat we didn't see coming. One that could take away the dream I didn't realize I had.

Everything. With her.

I'm on the hunt of my life. My prey might run, but in this fight—for her, for us—they don't stand a chance.

*

This month, I’m celebrating my upcoming release with a cool giveaway: a copy of the totally delicious first-person romance Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren, a sexy purple travel LED booklight, and a $15 iTunes gift card so you can read ASSASSIN’S PREY when it goes live on the 29th! To enter, comment below and tell me if you’ve read ASSASSIN’S MARK, book one in this series, and if you have, what you thought of Levi. (Here’s a hint: YUM!)

*** On MAY 29th, one commenter will be chosen, so hurry to enter! (Likes and shares with your romance-loving friends appreciated but not required!) ***